


Un Jour

by Geekygirl24



Category: Notre-Dame de Paris | The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - All Media Types, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Esmeralda has a twin brother, Esmeralda is Clopin's sister, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geekygirl24/pseuds/Geekygirl24
Summary: Clopin's life from the birth of his twin siblings and the troubles that come with being a gypsy in Paris.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’ve seen several posts that have Esmeralda with a ‘twin’ brother (some beautiful genderbend work), so I just had to write something for it.  
> Please read, review and enjoy 

Childbirth was a risky business, everyone in the Court knew that.

 

Clopin more than anyone.

 

Even he knew the story about how his mama died giving birth to his baby brother, who passed away not long after the event.

 

Drumming the fingers of his left hand against his thigh, he fidgeted nervously, unable to remain completely still as he waited for the screaming in the ‘royal’ tent to stop.

 

Everyone else looked as nervous as the fourteen-year-old felt.

 

Two women to his left were washing clothes, intensely focused on the task, as though the warm water would help to block out the noise. A man, who was standing next them, seemed close to tears himself.

 

Vaguely, Clopin remembered that the man had lost his own love to the pain of childbirth not too long ago.

 

An elderly couple across from him, who had always been very lucky when it came to their own children, sat there in both excitement and fear.

 

If this birth was successful, the Romani’s and other travellers would have two more members of the ‘royal family’.

 

Clopin sighed quietly and focused on his kneecaps, retreating into his imagination… until a shadow fell over him.

 

“Hello little prince…” Jehan teased, knowing how much Clopin hated the nickname as he sat next to him, “…. Gold penny for your thoughts?”

 

The teen shrugged and remained silent.

 

“… Thinking about your new baby brother or sister?” Jehan asked, not seeming to care that Clopin wasn’t speaking, “Because what you’re thinking is natural.”

 

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

 

“Of course I do!” Jehan placed an arm around Clopin’s shoulders and pulled him closer, “Younger brother or sister who’s going to get all the attention for a while, and then when you get older, you know you’ll probably have to take care of them…. I bet my brother Claude felt exactly the same, but most younger siblings aren’t that bad.”

 

“…. You ran away from him and fell in love with a gypsy, who he hates.” Clopin smirked at him, “You are last person who should be saying younger brothers and sisters aren’t that bad.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

 

Before Clopin could even think about teasing the older man further, a hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

It was then that he realised the screaming of his Papa’s second wife had stopped.

 

Looking at the person who had their hand on his shoulder, Clopin suddenly felt a little bit sick. Blood stained his Papa’s blue tunic, his face was pale and his breathing was slightly laboured. Before Clopin could say anything, the King of the Gypsies suddenly fell to his knees as Jehan went to catch him.

 

“She’s dead…” The King whispered weakly, and Clopin’s heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach, “... Maria’s dead… she’s dead.”

 

Not again… his Papa shouldn’t have had to go through this all again.

 

Knowing that he had to be strong, Clopin wrapped his arms around the older man, remaining silent despite the burning question on the tip of his tongue.

 

What about the child?

 

“Saber…” Jehan spoke up before Clopin could, “… What about the child?”

 

“Children.”

 

Clopin and Jehan’s eyes widened at this as Saber continued. “Twins. One girl and one boy…. They’re okay but- “His voice trailed weakly, his hands gripping at the blood-stained material on his chest as though seeking some sort of anchor.

 

“What… what are we going to call them?” Clopin eventually spoke up after a few moments of muted sobbing from his Papa, trying to stop his Papa from retreating into himself.

 

Saber just shrugged, prompting Clopin to try a little harder.

 

“How about Esmeralda for the girl?” he asked, knowing that his Papa once had a sister with the same name, “And maybe… Saphir for the boy?”

 

Saphir…. The brother who died all those years ago would have been called that.

 

Saber just nodded, his eyes still shut and pressed his face against the top of Clopin’s head.

 

“It’s going to be okay Papa.” Clopin tried to promise him, wincing as his Papa shook his head and groaned.

 

“No… no it’s not.”

 

……………………………………………………………………………..

 

“… Such a shame…”

 

“…. Only fourteen years old… “

 

“… so much responsibility…”

 

The happy news of the new-born twins was soon moved to one side when the rest of the gypsies realised just how badly the death of his second wife had affected their king, and what Clopin was having to do to keep everything afloat.

 

Like now.

 

Bouncing in place, humming a nonsense song he’d heard long ago at one of the parades at around three in the morning, Clopin desperately tried to get three-week-old Esmeralda to get to sleep.

 

Who knows what had upset her this time.

 

The small baby let out a high-pitched wail, and Clopin rubbed the back of her head soothingly, stopping for a minute to sway side to side, as though leading the baby through a waltz… and probably looking a little foolish as he did so.

 

His ears were starting to ring, and he could only pray that her twin brother was alright in his basket. They could be just as fussy as each other sometimes.

 

He also hoped that his watery eyes were from lack of sleep, or he’d be screwed.

 

Locating a nearby blanket, he lay her down and checked her nappy with the hope that maybe all this fussing was only due to her feeling uncomfortable. It had only been changed a few hours ago, but he’d be willing to hand-wash all of the cloth nappies in order to stop the crying.

 

Seeing that she’d not even wet it, Clopin groaned in despair, the sound seeming to echo throughout the hideout.

 

“Please Esme…” he begged, “… I don’t know what you want!”

 

Lifting her back into his arms, he sat on the stone ground and started to rock back and forth, slowly rubbing her back as he ignored the sympathetic looks he was getting from the nearby women.

 

Less than ten minutes passed before she fell asleep from exhaustion.

 

Slowly, he got back to his feet and headed back into the main tent, and gently placed her back in her basket, laying her next to her brother... who was only really half-asleep.

 

Well, at least he wasn’t crying.

 

…. Okay, now he was.

 

“Clopin?”

 

Clopin turned to the tent entrance, as Jehan’s wife, Rosella, entered, her heavily pregnant stomach protruding outwards. 

 

“Do you want me to get some milk for him? I think Rose’s cow has been milked recently?”

 

In exhaustion, he nodded wearily, giving her a sleepy smile as he lifted Saphir into his arms, desperately hoping the boy didn’t wake his sister up.

 

Rosella returned quicker than what he expected, handing over the milk and watching as Clopin expertly placed the bottle in his little brothers’ mouth and started talking to Saphir.

 

The tone was soothing and clearly intended to be child-friendly, however, unlike other careers, Clopin didn’t make his voice any higher or plaster a fake grin on his face. He talked about the parade that was going to happen later on that day, the best trees for climbing, the puppet shows he had planned. 

 

Saphir watched his big brother with half-lidded eyes, the milk already settling in his stomach, enough to make him drowsier.

 

Rosella couldn’t help but smile at the scene, the smile only widening as Clopin finished feeding the baby, patting his back until he burped, before rocking him back to sleep.

 

“It’s so humid outside…” he muttered, “… I’m trying to keep them cool, but I don’t know how!”

 

“Get rid of the blankets and try and keep their clothing light.”

 

When Clopin gave her a curious look, she shrugged and gave him a reassuring smile. “I looked after a lot of babies before I met Jehan… just trust me on this. I’ll help you get cool, and then you should get some rest. It’s bad enough your Papa will probably miss the parade, but there’s no reason why you should as well.”

 

Clopin stood there for a few moments, staring at her and remaining completely still, clearly trying not to wake Saphir again. Eventually, he sighed and placed the baby next to his sister, watching to make sure he wouldn’t wake up again, before flopping into his own bed wearily.

 

“Rosella…” he whispered, just before she could leave, “… do you think my Papa’s gonna be alright?”

 

It was times like this, when Rosella realised just how young Clopin really was. No fourteen-year-old should have this much responsibility. 

 

“I believe so…” she eventually answered, “… we are all praying for him. I believe that God will not let him suffer for long. He will find peace, I promise.”

 

“… Merci Rosella.”

 

As she left the tent, she chose to ignore the muffled sobs of the young boy within.

 

Let Clopin keep his pride.


	2. Bells of Notre Dame

It was a warm summers day when everything started to go wrong.

 

Money was always good in summer, with larger crowds and tourists from all corners of France making their way to Paris for a short break. They tended to pay generously for a bit of entertainment.

 

With his younger siblings sleeping peacefully in the shade of a large tree, with Rosella and Jehan’s… unusual looking child, Tomas, by their side, Clopin was free to run his little puppet shows.

 

Each gypsy had a certain skill that they used to their advantage, and Clopin’s was puppets, all homemade and resembling different people he’d met during their travels. People loved it, and it brought in quite a few gold coins.

 

Today, he was telling the children the story of the brother of a Judge, who had been pushed into the boring life of a priest, only to search for freedom and finally achieve it. All based on Jehan’s story of course.

 

“What happened to the man?” one of the children eagerly asked, leaning forwards in excitement, “Did his brother ever find him?”

 

“Never!” Clopin boldly stated, “He got married and had little babies of his own.”

 

The children all cheered, clapping and whooping in glee at the happy ending.

 

As he prepared for the next show, Clopin quickly checked on his siblings, smiling as the 6-month-olds beamed at him, both reaching up their arms to be picked up and hugged (which he was happy to do). Of course, he made sure to give little Tomas some attention as well, fingers running through red hair.

 

The baby was deformed, no on could argue that, but he was still an innocent baby.

 

Everyone else might flinch away from him, but not the gypsies. They knew what it was like to be outcasts.

 

And then everything went wrong.

 

Jehan suddenly came rushing over to Clopin and his Father (who was waiting on the side-lines, overlooking everything), “We need to get out of here… now!”

 

Saber frowned at the demand, “What are you- “

 

“- He’s here! He followed me here!”

 

“Who?” Clopin asked in confusion, “Who are you talking about?”

 

Before Jehan could answer, a smaller group of Gypsies suddenly came rushing into the area, one of them clutching a clearly broken arm.

 

“The new justice minister!” The man gasped, “H-He’s got guards with him. He’s pushing us off the main streets and- “

 

Suddenly, they all heard the heavy footsteps of a large horse, clearly one bred for war and violence.

 

Jehan immediately went to grab his son as Clopin did the same for his siblings, trying to shush them as they cried out in protest.

 

Within a couple of minutes, the group were out of the streets and running back to their home, just as a large horse, its rider a stern, older man, appeared around the corner.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

“Alright…” Saber growled after doing a quick head-count (and making sure that any injured were with the healers), turning to Jehan, “… who was that?”

 

Jehan was silent for a few moments, before he hung his head. “Claude… my brother.”

 

Silence.

 

“He-” Jehan took a deep breath, “- Someone must have seen me and reported back to him. I think he’s here looking for me, and if he can punish gypsies in the process, then he will.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone absorbed this news, before Jehan continued, bouncing his son up and down in his arms. “We need to get out of here… “ he turned to his wife, “… all of us. As soon as possible.”

 

“Tomas is too young!” Rosa immediately protested, “We can’t leave right now.”

 

“She’s right…” Saber spoke up, “… the nights are short. It’ll be better to wait until the colder months. The night comes a lot sooner then. The guard activity won’t be as prevalent.”

 

Jehan clearly didn’t like this, opening his mouth to protest, only for Saber to hold up his hand in a silent order for him to be quiet.

 

“I won’t hear anymore about this Jehan. You will remain out of sight, until it’s safe to move you.”

 

……………………………………………………………………….

 

Winter swept in quickly, and soon, every gypsy was struggling to wrap up against the freezing wind and snow.

 

With Tomas almost six months old, Rosa could no longer deny that they needed to go. Over the course of the morning and afternoon, they packed up their belongings.

 

The atmosphere was subdued.

 

Judge Claude Frollo was cruel, often giving gypsies some of the harshest sentences for the tiniest of crimes, just to get them off the streets. He spread horrific stories around, telling the people of Paris that gypsies were nothing more than thieves and murderers, with many of them practicing witchcraft in order to seduce to good Christians of Paris.

 

Business had been hard, and food supplies were starting to get low.

 

“Hopefully I’ll be able to get him away from Paris…” Jehan cautiously spoke up in the silence, “… He’s followed me this far. I doubt he’ll be able to resist.”

 

“What will he do if he finds you?” Clopin nervously asked.

 

“… I don’t know. But I’m trying not to think about that too much.”

 

With everything packed, the pair and the nearly sobbing baby moved over to Saber, who had his own small bag packed and dagger at his side. The King turned to Clopin, “I will see them out of Paris. Look after your siblings and our people in the meantime, okay?”

 

Clopin nodded, a serious expression on his young face. It was a big responsibility for him, and he knew it.

 

Never did he imagine that he wouldn’t see his Father ever again.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

“Can’t you make him be quiet?” Saber hissed as the boat lazily floated down the River Seine, their breath creating clouds in the air, “We’ll be spotted!”

 

Rosa nodded, gently hushing Tomas in a vain attempt to quiet him down. “Hush little one.”

 

But the cold air was just too much for him.

 

As the boat came to a stop, just on the outskirts of Paris, the man who had been steering the rowboat climbed out and held out his hand. “Four gold pieces your Highness… as was our agreement.”

 

Before Saber could hand them over, an arrow came out of nowhere and pierced the ferryman’s staff, causing him to yelp in alarm, especially when armed guards suddenly appeared from the shadows, surrounding them immediately.

 

Saber tried to knock the spears away, arms outstretched in an effort to protect Jehan and his family.

 

But it was too late.

 

From a nearby alleyway, the sound of a large horse echoed throughout it, as the creature came into view, a stern-looking man riding it.

 

“Claude…” Saber heard Jehan practically whimper behind him, “… oh God, this was all a trap.”

 

“Bring these gypsies to the Palace of Justice!” The Judge ordered, before turning a sly smirk onto his brother, “Except that one. Lock him in my office. We need to have a little chat I think.”

 

“You there!” One of the guards tried to grab at the bundle in Rosa’s arm (Tomas seemed to have fallen silent almost as soon as the boat came to a stop… not that it helped), “What are you hiding?!”

 

“Stolen goods no doubt. Take them from her!” Judge Frollo ordered.

 

Rosa ran.

 

As Frollo chased after her, the others were dragged away.

 

It was the last time Jehan saw his wife.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Rosa ran as fast as she could, leaping over gates and other obstacles in order to get away from the large horse and its terrifying rider.

 

Tomas squirmed in her arms but remained silent as Rosa raced up the stairs of Notre Dame, her fist banging on the door, desperation in her voice as she called out “SANCTUARY! PLEASE GIVE US SANCTUARY!”

 

The door remained closed.

 

Seeing that Judge Frollo was almost on top of her, Rosa set off running again, crying out when Frollo grabbed the blankets keeping her baby warm. She clung onto Tomas with all of her strength, only for a heavy foot to kick her in the stomach, sending her flying to the ground, her head striking the stone stairs with a resounding CRACK!

 

She knew nothing more after that.

 

……………………………………………………………………………

 

It was late afternoon.

 

Clopin paced the small tent back and forth, trying not to trip over the twins and their toys as he did.

 

Their Father should have been back by now. He should have been back hours ago actually.

 

“Clopin! Clopin!”

 

Quickly, he rushed out of the tent, only to see a small group of men, who usually went undercover as blind men, rushing towards him, fear written all over their faces.

 

“What is it?” The teen asked, glancing at all of them one by one, not liking what he was seeing, “What happened?”

 

The men all glanced at one another, before the largest of the group stepped forwards, all removing their hats in a show of grief and mourning, “Your Father, he- “he stopped, as though the words had been caught in his throat, “- he was caught by Judge Frollo…. They all were.”

 

Clopin felt faint, forcing himself to remain upright as his fists clenched in anger, “Tomas, Rosa, Jehan… all of them?”

 

The man nodded, “All of them…. And- “Another pause.

 

“- And what?!”

 

“… Your Father must have been hung in the early hours of the morning.” One of the other men managed to force out, “We’re sorry but… there’s nothing we can do.”

 

Hung.

 

His Father was dead.

 

Clopin felt his knees buckle out from under him, hearing the alarmed cries of the men as he fell to the ground.

 

His Father was dead… which made him and the twins orphans.

 

His Father was dead… which made him the leader of the gypsies.

 

Mon Dieu.


	3. Stress

Clopin felt like he was going to collapse from exhaustion. It had been just under a year since his Father had died and the responsibility of being the King of the Gypsies fell to him. Ever since then, he had gone out for long hours, trying to make enough money to buy food and clothes for him and his siblings.

 

But it was getting harder every day.

 

The crackdown on the gypsies was getting worse, with almost a quarter of their community moving on as soon as they could, sneaking into caravans and coaches.

 

Working all day, and when it was all over, he had to go home and take care of the twins.

 

“Hey babies…” he greeted as soon as he entered the tent, nodding in thanks to the woman who had been willing to look after the one-year-olds all day, “… have you been good?”

 

Neither of them had quite moved onto speaking words yet, but they were clearly happy to see him as they crawled towards him, beaming grins on their faces. Slowly, Clopin went to his knees, wrapping one arm around each of them and pulling them close.

 

They didn’t understand what was going on. They didn’t understand that their Dad was dead and Clopin was now the new King.

 

Clopin was a little jealous.

 

“Any problems?” he asked Imelda, who was giving him a sympathetic smile, “Do you need me to get anything for them?”

 

She shook her head sadly, “No… and even if they did, I’m sure the rest of the community will happily donate something.”

 

“I can’t ask that of anyone.”

 

“You don’t have to ask sweetie.” At Clopin’s following silence, Imelda sighed and nodded wearily, “Alright… I’ll leave you be. Remember what I said though.”

 

“Oui… merci.”

 

As soon she’d left the tent, Clopin practically deflated, slumping over as he rested against his own bed. Just before he could fall asleep, he felt tiny hands pat him on the cheeks, prompting him to open his eyes and stare down at his brother and sister.

 

“What?”

 

“Ah!” Saphir cooed, hand reaching up to grab at Clopin’s hair, gently tugging at it.

 

“Cheer up? Is that what you’re asking?”

 

“Ah!” This time, it was Esmerelda who cooed, almost seeming to agree with the statement.

 

“I’m sorry but… I don’t think I can.”

 

The twins glanced at one another, before Saphir hit Clopin a little harder on the cheek, shocking him for a brief moment.

 

“Hey, what was that for?”

 

The pair just pouted at him, identical frowns on their face.

 

Clopin stared at them for a few moments, before sighing wearily and forcing a smile onto his face, “How about this? Is this okay? Is this what you want?”

 

No matter how fake it was, it was clearly what the babies wanted to see.

 

“Alright, alright…” he whispered, pulling the pair into a hug, “… I’ll try.”

 

………………………………………………………………………..

 

Things needed to change, he knew that as much as anyone.

 

His Papa knew the benefits of spreading out tasks, delegating power…. He would never have let himself be run into the ground like this.

 

After getting a few hours sleep, his siblings curled up in his arms, he started to make a list. The majority of his Papa’s loyal men still remained, and he knew that they were likely to still be loyal to him. He scribbled out the list as quickly as he could, naming all those he knew to be loyal and giving them the jobs that they were probably the best at.

 

“Come on you two.” He gently woke the twins up, getting them fed and dressed as quickly as he could, “Things are going to change around here. No more working long hours, and more time with you two.”

 

They didn’t really know what he was saying, but they giggled and smiled anyway.

 

He wished they could stay that way. Innocent and unaware of the troubles they’d come up against in the future.

 

“Clopin?” Imelda slowly moved the tent flap to one side and entered, her eyes widening slightly, “I thought I heard you! You’re still- “

 

“- here, yes I know.” The teenager straightened up, “I was hoping that you could do a favour for me?”

 

“Anything.”

 

Smiling at her eagerness, Clopin held out the longish list. “I was hoping you could be my second in command? You’re right… I need help.”

 

It took Imelda a few moments to respond, but when she did, it was with a big beaming grin on her face.

 

“Whatever you need Clopin, I’m here.”

 

“Thank you…” Clopin glanced down at the twins, “… I think, I’ll take the day off today.”

 

“An excellent choice… your majesty.”


	4. Lullaby

“No, no, no!” Clopin grabbed the three-year-old Saphir by the collar of his tunic, stopping him from running out of the tent and into the night-time celebrations, “It’s bedtime!”

 

“NO!”

 

As Saphir whined and struggled to get free, Clopin spotted Esmerelda attempting to sneak out as well.

 

“Get back here, young lady!”

 

Esmerelda just giggled, flashing her older brother a wicked grin, before making a dash for it…. Only to run right into Imelda.

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” Imelda lifted the child into her arms, giving her a little shake when the three-year-old attempted to wriggle free, “Isn’t it time for you two to be in bed?”

 

“No!” “No!” Both twins cried out in unison.

 

“Yes!” Clopin groaned, “Please, I’m not above begging!”

 

Lifting Saphir up into his arms, making sure to keep a tight hold of him, Clopin then headed to grab Esmerelda, practically throwing them onto the thread-bare mattress and mass of blankets that constituted as their bed.

 

Before they could leave the soft area, Clopin suddenly held up his hand, “Ah, ah, ah… if you stay in bed, then I’ll tell you a story about Papa.”

 

Much to Imelda’s surprise, the twins stopped immediately, beaming grins on their faces as they leant back against the blankets.

 

“Right…. Finally.” Clopin sighed and took a seat opposite them twisting around to smile at Imelda, “Thank you, I think I have them handled now.”

 

“If you’re sure… I’m just a call away.”

 

“Thank you, Imelda.”

 

Once she was gone, Clopin turned his attention back to his siblings, smiling when he realised that the eager look hadn’t disappeared. “Alright…” he shuffled a little bit closer, “… what kind of story do you want to hear?”

 

“One about Daddy and Mummy!” They both cried out in unison, not seeming to notice the flash of pain that appeared on their brother’s face.

 

It had been so long since he’d even thought about his Dad and second mother… it’s not because he wanted to forget about them… it was just because of all the new responsibilities he had to take on.

 

“What- “ he cleared his throat, “- what kind of story?”

 

“A happy one!” Saphir quickly spoke up, “Can Mummy dance like Esme?”

 

Clopin’s mind flashed back to when he was around ten, warming up next to the fire as his parents danced around it, leaving Clopin to laugh and clap along to the beat.

 

“I can tell you the story about their song?” he asked, smiling as the twins nodded eagerly, “Alright, well, it all began around seven years ago.”

 

********Flashback**********

 

“Saber, enough!” Maria giggled, trying to shield her neck from the scratchy beard as Saber attempted to kiss her, “Saber, Clopin is watching!”

 

Saber turned and winked at his son, who was smirking, sewing up his new puppet, “It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.”

 

“Doesn’t mean I want to see it again Papa!” Clopin groaned, sticking his tongue out at his Father when the older man smirked at him and continued with what he was doing.

 

As Maria and Saber continued to giggle and flirt with one another, Clopin soon forgot about his puppet, gently placing it on the blanket next to him as he watched them.

 

“I’ll swim and sail on savage seas, with n’er a fear of drowning.” Saber then started to softly sing, “And gladly ride the waves of life, if you will stay with me.”

 

Almost instantly everything fell silent as he continued.

 

“No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, will stop me on my journey. If you will promise me your heart.”

 

Saber then paused, clearly waiting for his wife to continue on the song. When it looked like she wasn’t going to, he frowned in disappointment and took a step back.

 

“… And love me for eternity.” Maria eventually finished, before turning to Saber and shaking her head, “You’re are such a charmer and a poet. You know I don’t need things like that to be happy.”

 

“How about if I bring you rings of gold?” Saber continued, a beaming smile on his face, “Compose you songs about my love?”

 

“I only want your hand to hold, I only want you near me.”

 

The pair wrapped their arms around one another, feet moving in a fast-paced dance, laughing as Saber reached out and grabbed Clopin’s hand, pulling him into the dance. For a few minutes, they danced around the fireplace, until they were too tired and collapsed onto a pile of blankets, Clopin wrapped up in his father’s arms as Maria kissed him on the forehead.

 

******End Flashback******

 

Clopin sighed wearily as he finished the story, noticing that the twins were finally asleep, curled up next to one another, hands gripping each others’ clothing.

 

Slowly, he closed the curtain that separated his area from theirs and collapsed onto the pile of blankets that acted as his bed. 

 

There were some days when he could think about his Papa and feel nothing but happiness and joy at the memory, remembering him as a fun-loving man who did anything he could to provide a good home for his son and wife.

 

Then there were the days like this.

 

Days were even the smallest thing reminded him of his Papa, and caused him to feel like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, like he couldn’t breathe

 

“Papa…” he whispered, “… I need you.”


End file.
